The present invention relates generally to digital television receivers and in particular to a method for updating software in the digital television receiver using recorded data provided by a digital video cassette recorder (VCR), digital versatile disk (DVD) player, laptop computer or other source of stored video signal.
Computer software has been an essential component of television receivers for many years. It is used, for example, to implement digital tuning, respond to commands generated by remote control units, to decode and display closed caption information and to store and implement a user-preferred configuration of the television receiver.
The use of computer software in television receivers will only increase with the introduction of television receivers to receive terrestrially broadcast ATSC encoded digital television signals. Indeed, as these receivers are produced and used by the public, there may be additions to one or more of the ATSC standards to accommodate general viewer preferences. It would be advantageous if the digital television receivers that are in use when these changes are made could be reprogrammed to make use of the changes.
Typically, the computer software for digital television receivers is contained in read-only memories (ROMs). In order to reprogram the television receiver, the existing ROM must be replaced with a new ROM, containing the new programming. While the digital television receiver may be adapted so that the ROM can be replaced by the user, these adaptations add to the cost of the receiver and may introduce new opportunities for system failure caused, for example, by a ROM which is not seated properly in its socket.
Current analog television systems transmit one program per channel. Selection from among the channels being broadcast at any given time is made by adjusting the tuner to tune to the frequency of the desired channel.
Some digital television systems exist which transmit multiple programs via a satellite link. These systems include an electronic program guide which maps each program number into a particular transponder signal, a particular channel being transmitted by the transponder and a particular program in the channel. In these systems, the electronic program guide is required to tune to a program being carried by one of these digital satellite systems. Thus an electronic program guide must be generated at the head-end and decoded by the receiver in order to tune to a specific program.
The Program and System Information Protocol for Terrestrial Broadcast and Cable specification as described in publication DOC.A/56 published by Advanced Television Systems Committee, which is incorporated herein by reference for its teachings on digital the program and system information protocol (PSIP), describes a method by which television program information may be transmitted with a multiprogram data stream that conveys multiple programs in a single terrestrial broadcast channel or cable channel. Thus, each of several broadcasters who transmit signals in a given area may send a signal that contains a single high-definition program or multiple programs which may be either high-definition or standard definition programs. In addition, separate data programs, conveying information independent of the television programs may be transmitted in the multi-program data stream. These programs may include, for example, an EPG which covers all of the programs in the multi-program stream. When each broadcaster sends multiple programs over its channel, the standard describe a method by which these programs are identified.
The PSIP standard builds upon the ATSC Digital Television Standard DOC A/53 which, in turn, builds upon the MPEG-2 standard defined by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). The MPEG-2 standard is described in a publication entitled xe2x80x9cGeneric Coding of Moving Pictures and Associated Audio: Video, Recommendation H.626xe2x80x9d, ISO/IEC 13818-2, IS, 11/94 and the publication entitled xe2x80x9cGeneric Coding of Moving Pictures and Associated Audio: Systems, Recommendation H.222.0xe2x80x9d, ISO/IEC 13818-1, IS, 11/94 available from the International Standards Organization. All of these standards are hereby incorporated by reference for their teaching on digital video transmission and decoding.
The present invention is embodied in a television receiver which is coupled to a source of recorded video signal to receive an digital multi-program stream containing video, audio and data programs. The receiver recognizes one of the data programs as containing computer software for the digital television receiver, extracts the data program from the multi-program stream and uses the extracted data to update the programming of the digital television receiver.
According to one aspect of the invention, the extracted data program includes preference data for the television receiver and a microprocessor in the television receiver extracts the preference data from the data program.
According to another aspect of the invention, the extracted data program includes a program image for the operational software of the digital television receiver and the digital television receiver copies the extracted data program to a non-volatile memory area used for the operational software of the television receiver.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the extracted data program includes computer software which may be executed by a microprocessor in the television receiver to effect a change in the programming of the digital television receiver.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the extracted data program includes program selection information and programming to temporarily redefine commands received from a remote control unit to allow a viewer to interact with video and audio information in the multi-program stream.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the multiprogram stream includes video and audio information which is decoded and presented while the data program is extracted, and the video and audio information describes the changes in programming made by the extracted data program.